Museum, visitor centre, limestone gorge & cave system, country park and wildlife reserve. Open: Everyday, 10:00am - 5:30pm March to September | 10:00am - 4:30pm October to February | November - January: Open Saturdays and Sundays only

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Exhibition Objects

Welcome to Exploring Objects. Here you can explore the rich collection of objects that have been unearthed from the Creswell Heritage Area. To find an object, type in the words that best describe what you are looking for and click ‘Search’

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Brown bear skull

Skull of brown bear from Pin Hole. Middle to late Last Ice Age.

The skull of a brown bear (Ursus arctos) shown here was found by A.L. Armstrong in 1926 during excavations in Pin Hole, at a distance of 15 metres (49') from the entrance and 1.5 metres (5') below the surface of the deposits. Without direct radiocarbon dating this specimen can only be approximately placed within the middle or late parts of the Last Cold Stage.

Bears are commonly found as fossils in British cave sites. This specimen was probably over-wintering in the shelter of the cave. Bears were a major predator during the Pleistocene and could grow to an enormous size. Armstrong suggested that people deliberately removed the canines and incisors from this skull to be used in a necklace. It is more probable that they simply fell out after the animal died.